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And greetings, brethren. This is for the Day of Atonement, the year 2001. And of course as we know and we always begin there, we know that on every holy day that we do take up an offering. And we are to come before God according to the blessing that He has given us.
Now let’s go to Leviticus 23 and let’s read the instruction for the Day of Atonement, beginning in verse 26. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD” (Lev. 23:26-27). Now to afflict your souls means that you are to fast without eating food and drinking water. And to make an offering unto the Lord made by fire, that is for those who come to the Temple and it is in addition to the regular priestly offering of the Day of Atonement to make atonement for the children of Israel.
Now let’s come down here to verse 37. “These are the feasts of the LORD…” And of course these are the ones that we keep. And the world today doesn’t want to keep them. They will think of every excuse and every reason as to why not to keep them, but God says keep them. And so when it comes down to everything concerning the word of God we have to ask the question: Do we love God. Do we believe His word? Or, are we more concerned about what people in the world think about us. So, “These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations…” And as we’ve seen many times there in 2 Timothy 4, we are to preach in season and out of season and preach the word. So these are holy convocations or appointed times. “…To offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a [meal] meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: besides the sabbaths of the LORD…” So these are the Sabbaths. All of them listed here in Leviticus 23, it starts out with the weekly Sabbath and then all the annual Sabbaths. “…And beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD” (vs. 37-38). And then it goes on explaining a little more about the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day, which will begin in five days from now by the way, the Feast of Tabernacles. And we’re looking forward to that, and looking forward to seeing as many of you as we can.
So at this time we’ll go ahead and pause and we’ll take up the offering for the Day of Atonement.
(Pause)
Now let’s continue on with the specific instructions for the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement is a very special day, and there are also some important instructions contained in here that help us understand concerning the rest of the Sabbaths of God. Now let’s pick it up here in verse 28 of Leviticus 23. “And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.” Now how is it that a person is cut off from among his people? He is cut off from God, left to his own devices, and the blessing of God is withdrawn from him. That is worse in most cases than a physical affliction. You are cut off from the people of God. And we’ve seen this happen haven’t we? Yes we have. And people who forsake the holy days and people who give up on doing what God has said to do, they have been cut off from God and then cut off from the people of God.
Now verse 30. “And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.” Now there are many ways to be destroyed. If you’re cut off, that’s the first step. And if you go work then the next step is that you are destroyed. Now, the most destructive thing that can happen to anyone is not the loss of their physical life. That can happen, but it’s not talking about this. This is talking about us in a spiritual sense, our spiritual lives are destroyed, and our spiritual standing with God is destroyed. You see we are totally cut off. That’s how important this Day of Atonement really is. You see, it’s vital for salvation. It’s vital for our relationship with God. And just like we learned with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a little leaven leavens the whole lump, and that is a truism. Absolute living law, that once people start down the road of compromising the word of God, compromising the truth of God, compromising with the world, then the leaven just comes in. And we’re going to see that Satan is the author of that, and we are going to see exactly how he operates and what we need to do to resist him. Because this day has great meaning for the world as well as for us.
Verse 31, “Ye shall do no manner of work [in it]:…” So there we have three times - no work, no manner of work, any work. “…It shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath” (vs. 31-32). Now, the King James does not show what it really means in the Greek. Now, the Hebrew Old Testament was translated into the Greek, which is called the Septuagint. And there’s a very interesting thing that is brought out with this concerning this particular day, concerning the Day of Atonement.
Now let’s pick it up here in verse 32. “It shall be a holy sabbath to you. You shall humble your soul. So the ninth day of the month at even, from even to even shall you keep your sabbaths.” Now in the Greek it is plural, “you shall keep your sabbaths”. So what it is here, it is now a direct command on how to keep all the Sabbath days, from even to even, or the Hebrew there is barev to barev meaning sunset to sunset. Now that’s the easiest way for anyone to understand when the Sabbath begins and when the Sabbath ends because all they have to do is see where the sun sets, when it sets, and they know that the Sabbath begins, or the Sabbath ends. So the tenth day of the month is defined from the ninth day of the month at sunset to the tenth day of the month at sunset, is the tenth day. And the tenth day of this seventh month, the Day of Atonement is really profoundly important.
Now let’s look at some other things. Let’s come here to Exodus 31 and let’s see the command that shows what we are to do. And that these Sabbaths, that these holy days are a sign, and God has never changed that sign. It’s something that we need to understand. Exodus 31:12, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily [truly] My sabbaths…” Now that is the correct translation. That’s the way it was translated in the English from the Hebrew, and in the Greek from the Hebrew - “My sabbaths”. But it’s very important to understand that all the way through here, when it’s not referring directly to the weekly Sabbath, it is referring to the Sabbaths. So you have the whole package. You can’t do like the Seventh Day Adventists, or the Church of God 7th Day, and take the seventh day and have that and say now, “Oh, we have truth. We understand the Sabbath day.” No, you have partial truth because you’re leaving the Sabbaths, because the keeping of the Sabbaths is the sign. It’s like having half a sign. Now if you have half a word that’s on a sign you don’t know what it’s in. Just like one of latest ads that they have. The company’s abbreviation is “ing”. So they have it on a park bench and then they have people sit before the “ing”. So they show the people and then right next to it the “ing” and they ask people to guess what the word is. And no one can guess it. And they’re all wrong because there is no word there, it’s just “ing”. Well that is exactly what happens when people have the Sabbath but not the holy days. They only have “ing”, they don’t have the rest of it. And it should probably be “keeping”. That’s what it does mean here in the scripture.
“Verily [truly] My sabbaths ye shall keep: for it [that is the keeping of the sabbaths] is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.” And of course we are sanctified through Christ. And it is the Lord that sanctifies us. And we know God. Now let’s look at it the other way around. If you don’t keep these days you don’t know God. Think on that for a minute. That’s why it’s so important. And that’s why people who quit keeping these days end up not knowing God.
Now let’s continue on. “Ye shall keep the sabbath[s] [plural in the Greek and Hebrew] therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people” (vs. 14). Now they may feel good out shopping. They may have a good deal in being able to save money. But the question is: If you save money and you lose your life, what have you gained? Even Jesus said if you gained the whole world and lose your life, what have you gained? Nothing. You’ve lost everything. To gain the whole world and lose you life is meaningless. Now you may have a little thrill or a little power, or whatever in between the time that you acquire it and die, but sooner or later you’re going to die and it’s over with, you see.
Now then He talks about the regular Sabbath. Just exactly as it began there in Leviticus 23. “Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death” (vs. 15). Now notice what we have. The same wording, don’t we. Number 1, cut off, and then death.
Now let’s apply that spiritually. When you are cut off from the people of God, when you don’t keep the Sabbath and holy days, you’re walking down the road to spiritual death. So we can apply New Testament doctrine here. “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath[s] [plural]…” That’s what it means in the Hebrew and the Greek, “shall keep them”. Now who is the Israel of God today? The Church. So we are the true spiritual Israel, and we are to keep the Sabbaths of God. “…To observe the sabbath[s] throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant” (vs. 16). Now let’s understand something profound and important here that we need to really let sink in deeply, is this: We have the New Covenant with God through Jesus Christ by His sacrifice, by His blood, by His body, by His death, by His resurrection. That is the New Covenant. The covenant that God made with Israel was a temporary one to last until the death of Jesus Christ. But let’s understand something here. This Sabbath command is a separate perpetual ongoing covenant that stands right along side the New Covenant, stands right along side the Old Covenant when it was in effect. And as a matter of fact, goes all the way back to the promises given to Abraham.
Now lets continue on here. “It [the keeping of the Sabbaths] is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever…” Then He emphasizes again the weekly Sabbath. “…For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed” (vs. 17). Now let’s notice what happened after this, because this is profound.
Verse 18, “And He gave unto Moses, when He had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.” Now notice the people’s reaction. I think it’s profound. Israel never wanted to keep the Sabbath. Period. They always wanted their own way, their own Sunday, their own gods, their own worship. And the only time that they kept the Sabbath and holy days was when they had a king or they had a judge or they had a ruler such as Ezra and Nehemiah that made them do it. They never did it from the heart. So it’s fitting that the very next chapter, what do we have?
Exodus 32:1, “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods…for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.” So we’re going to take it into our own hands and we’re going to do it our way, you see. No faith, no belief in God. They want their own god so they made them golden calves, and you know the rest of the story. So I think it’s very profound that right after this command and this instruction is given in Exodus 31 that we have the rebellion of the children of Israel in Exodus 32. And true today, people do not want to keep the Sabbath. And if they keep the Sabbath in many cases they don’t keep the holy days.
Now why all of this confusion? Why all of these disparities and difficulties? Let’s come back and let’s see the origin of where this day began. Let’s come to Genesis 3, because this day has an awful lot to do with the author of sin, Satan the devil, the one who inspires and causes people to rebel and go against God, and the one who is our adversary, as we will see, and the one who is exerting all force and pressure and power to seek to destroy the people of God. Now he does it very subtly just like he did with Adam and Eve. Now let’s understand something important here concerning Genesis 3. When the serpent comes on the scene he is already Satan the devil. And the only four personages that were in the Garden of Eden were: 1) God, 2-3) Adam and Eve, 4) Satan. And he came bringing an interesting sounding message. And he came contradicting God, but sounding like he was bringing “new truth”. And one thing you can always count on, whenever there is a theologian or a minister who preaches against what God has said, or makes light of what God has said, know and understand that person is not from God but from Satan the devil.
Now let’s begin right here in Genesis 3:1. “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field… And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” And I like the way Tyndale translates it. He says, “Tush.” In other words, just sarcastically getting rid of any authority of God with the word “tush”.
“And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die” (vs. 2-3). Now what did God say about the Sabbath? If you don’t keep it, you’re cut off. And if you continue not keeping it and work on it, you die. Same thing. Exactly the same thing. Same with the Day of Atonement, correct?
“But…”, verse 3 in answering said, “…the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” And there’s a strange quirk about human nature and the way human beings think which is this, rarely in a whole lifetime do we really think of death or contemplate death. Somehow we all feel that we’re all going to continue living the way that we are until all of a sudden we’re confronted with death staring us in the face. And that’s when we begin to think about death. So it was very easy for Satan to come to Eve and come to say, “Ye shall not surely die.” Now here she was just created of God. Young, beautiful, full mature woman with a full speaking language and able to think and understand, comprehended what God taught them. Conversed with the serpent.
So then he says, “God knows…” Now he’s accusing God. “…That you shall not die.” “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened…” Now notice this. Satan always calls things the opposite of what they are. Because their eyes were closed to the truth of God, their eyes, sure enough, were open to sin. “…And ye shall be as gods, knowing [or that is, determining for yourself what is] good and evil” (vs. 5). Therefore then they become gods unto themselves and that’s the way the whole world is going today. Determining for themselves what is good, what is evil, what is right, what is wrong. And of course Satan is in there giving them all of the wrong data, just like he did here with Eve.
So, “…when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes…” You see there is a pleasure in sin for a season. And there’s a self-deception that comes about when you knowingly go against the word of God, and the command of God, which Eve did, which Adam did. It’s called justification. You justify it in your mind. Regardless of how bad it is, you justify it in your mind. Pleasant to the eyes, oh yes this is lovely. “…And a tree to be desired to make one wise…” And of course that’s the same folly we’re doing today. “Oh, if we only had more knowledge we’ll be able to solve this problem.” No, that’s not correct. If you have God then you can solve the spiritual problem in your life and then the other problems can be taken care of. Just like they say today, “Well, if we have more knowledge we can get rid of the scourge of AIDS. No, that won’t get rid of it. All the knowledge, all the research, all the scientific whatever is not going to get rid of AIDS or any of the other things but obedience to God. And that’s what’s important. So Satan doesn’t tell you any of that. He said, “We’ll find a way. We’ll get more information. We’ll create a medicine. We’ll get a vaccine.”
Now let’s go on here. She wanted to be wise. “…She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And…”, sure enough, “…the eyes of them both were opened…”, to see evil, to commit sin, to ignore God’s way. And then from that time on mankind has been cut off from God. Now he’s had access to God but in general all mankind has been cut off from God because of what Adam and Eve did here. So the entrance of Satan the devil, who as the covering cherub, who was right over the throne of God, who then was corrupted by his own wisdom and his own beauty and his own trafficking, and all the things that go along with Satan. Then he said, “I’m going to be like the most High.”
Let’s go to Isaiah 14. Let’s see that. That’s important to understand so that we realize what we’re dealing with, with Satan the devil. And he is cunning, and he is powerful, but Christ is more powerful. And the One that is in you is greater than the one that is in the world. Never ever forget that because you don’t have to be afraid of Satan the devil, but you don’t go around standing up and challenging him. You let God fight you battles for you. You draw close to God, let Him help you and strengthen you. And draw close to Him and flee the devil, as we will see a little bit later on.
Isaiah 14:12, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” Now Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall as a star from heaven.” And he fell from heaven. He was cast down. And this is where it took place. “How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” And yes, everything that Satan has done, his way, his plan, the way that he has developed all the society of the world has weakened them. And all the globalization that’s taking on now is weakening them even more. “For thou hast said in thine heart…” And he hasn’t completed this yet because he’s going to try and do it. He’s going to try and complete this even though he was cast down to the ground. “…I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…” Now Satan has a throne. And the stars of God then are the angels of God or the literal stars that he would rule over the stars of God, whereas God created them and upholds the galaxies by the word of His power. Satan said that he’s going to take them. “…I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north [which is where God’s throne is]: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds…” [“God is not going to restrict me here to the earth and the clouds. I’m going to get above them.”] “…I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit” (Isaiah 14:12-15). And that’s what this day pictures, when this is going to take place.
Now let’s understand something concerning Satan the devil. Let’s look at the book of Revelation and let’s look at this rebellion as it’s brought out here in Revelation 12. Because as we’re going to see, our greatest battles is fighting against the things of Satan and his demons in this world, and all that they control, and all that it is of the world.
Revelation 12:3, “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon…” So he’s called the great red dragon. We’re going to see the many names of Satan and the power that he has, and what we need to be aware of and be alert all the time so that we are not caught by the whiles of Satan. Number 1, he’s called the great red dragon, “…having seven heads and ten horns, and seven drowns upon his heads.” Seven heads and ten horns is a counterfeit of God’s way. That is, you might say, almost identical to what was represented by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
“And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven…” That is, the angels of God. A third of them rebelled with him and became demons. “…And did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born” (vs. 4). So this is a very fast summary of the history of what has gone on from the beginning of creation. And how that Satan has interfered with it. And of course he wanted to kill Christ. And he inspired Herod to go ahead and kill all the children two years and under in Bethlehem, trying to kill the One Who was Jesus Christ, the Son of man, the Savior of mankind, Who is the Son of God.
Now let’s continue on here in Revelation 12. “And she brought forth a man child, Who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron…” Now that is going to be done during the Millennium. “…And her child was caught up unto God, and to His throne” (vs. 5). This is a quick summary of the life and the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ to ascend to the throne of God the Father to be our High Priest at His right hand right now.
Now then there was war in heaven. Now let’s come down here to verse 7. “And there was war in heaven [and this war is yet to take place]: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels…” (vs. 7). “And the great dragon was cast out…” This is the final casting out because Satan, as we will see, has authority yet to come before God. This will be the final casting down. When there is that war in heaven and Satan is cast down to the earth, that’s the final casting down. But notice, “…which deceiveth the whole world…” And I could give a whole series on how Satan is deceiving the whole world. And the way that he wants to deceive every one of us in the Church of God is this: False doctrine. False doctrine that is made to look so good. Just like he told Eve. “Why sure enough, you can decide what’s right and wrong.” Why, we’re told today, aren’t we, the same thing? “Why sure enough, you can look in the Bible there. You can determine for yourself. But let me tell you how to determine it for yourself…” And then you’re given false doctrine. That’s how false doctrine arises and Satan the devil is the author of false doctrine. Do you understand that? Cause if he can get you with that then he can begin to lead you away from God. And then you will end up not having salvation. So this is very critical we understand what’s going on here. Deceiving the whole world. “…He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (vs. 9).
Now we know in the first chapter of the book of Job the sons of God, who are the angels, come before God and Satan is standing in the midst of them. And God says to Satan, “Well, where are you going?”
“Oh”, he said, “From going to and fro in the earth.” And then you know what happened. God gave Satan permission to afflict Job. And he didn’t curse God to his face so Satan came back and said, “Yea, skin for skin. He’ll curse you then.” And God said, “Ok, you can afflict him but you can’t take his life.” Then everything, go through the whole book of Job. God used that to bring out a lot of things and a lot of sin that Job had that he didn’t even know he had. But you see that’s how Satan starts. And that’s how he does it, see.
Now, let’s look at what he is called here. First of all, 2 Corinthians 4:4. Now we saw first of all he’s called the dragon. In Genesis he’s called the serpent. So we have those two things - the serpent and dragon. Now 2 Corinthians 4:4, just to show you the power of Satan the devil. That’s why we have to have Christ fight for us. That’s why we have to rely on His power and His truth, and His goodness, because we cannot fight Satan on our own. Even Michael the Archangel said, “The Lord rebuke you.” He didn’t take it upon himself to challenge Satan. You need to understand that.
Now notice 2 Corinthians 4:3, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:” Now isn’t it profound that a lot of people have lost the knowledge of the gospel who once had it? And why did they lose it? And they may lose their spiritual lives. But why did they lose it? Verse 4, “In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not.” Now, not only does that apply to the world but that applies to people that have been in the Church of God who put themselves in the category of unbelievers who no longer believe, who no longer keep the Sabbath, no longer keep the holy days, no longer keep the commandments of God. Oh, they have Satan’s way of doing it, which sounds wonderful and pleasant, but it’s a lie. He’s god of this world, he blinds the minds.
2 Corinthians 11. Now let’s understand something else concerning Satan. He has his ministers. Many of them. Secular and religious. Do you understand that? Yes. 2 Corinthians 11:13, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers…” And they know that they are deceitful. “…Transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” So not only is he the serpent, and the dragon, and the god of this world, he comes as an angel of light. And Christ said of that light, “Behold how great is the darkness that is in you.” “Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Cor. 11:13-15). So look at that.
Let’s look at another one. Revelation 9:11. We won’t turn there. He is called the king of the bottomless pit, or the abyss. And as we will see by the end of the sermon, that’s where he’s going to be sealed.
Next one. He is the prince of the world. John 12:31, “The prince of the world comes”, Jesus said, “And he has nothing in me.”
Now let’s come to Ephesians 2, and let’s also see that he has great power. And Paul talked about this. And now he’s got all of the modern tools available to make this work even more. Radio, television, movies, entertainment, music. All of those things are there. Powerful. In addition to that he’s got the whole educational system. He’s got all of the governmental systems. He has all the religions in the world. So here he is sitting and he is able to keep people enslaved and keep them, how shall we say, blinded, brain controlled, if we could it that way.
Ephesians 2:2, “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [so that is Satan the devil called the prince of the power of the air], that spirit that now [is inner-working] worketh in the children of disobedience…” You see, it also tells us this: if you don’t have the Spirit of God inner-working in you then Satan’s going to come and he’s going to come to the point that he will inner-work within that individual by disobedience.
“Among whom also we all had our [conduct] conversation in time past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind [and that’s exactly the tactic he used for deceiving Eve. He appealed to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, and all of these things. And he got her and Adam too. “…And were by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (vs. 3). So he’s the prince of the power of the air.
Now let’s come here to Ephesians 5:8. “For ye were sometimes darkness…” He is the king of darkness, or the prince of darkness as well.
We also know, let’s come to Matthew 12, very profound. Not only was he cast down and 1/3rd of the angels went with him that became demons, but in Matthew 12 we also find that he is the prince of the demons. And there’s even a name for him called, Beelzebub. Now let’s pick it up here in Matthew 12:22. “Then was brought unto Him one possessed with a [demon] devil, blind, and dumb: and He healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out [demons] devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the [demons] devils” (Matt. 12:22-24). And so he’s called the prince of the demons.
Now verse 25, here’s something we also need to understand about Satan and his kingdom. It is divided. “And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: and if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?” (vs. 25-26). It’s not going to stand. It is going to be destroyed and it’s going to be brought to desolation. And that’s why Christ has to return, as we saw concerning the Feast of Trumpets. So he’s called the prince of the demons.
Now let’s go to 1 Peter 5 and let’s see something very profound that we need to understand. How is it that we are able to resist Satan the devil. Let’s pick it up now because this is very important for us to understand and realize. 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant…” So we have to be on our guard. “…Because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion…” Now notice, he’s also called a roaring lion. “…Is walking about, seeking whom he may devour.” And those who are weak in the faith he devours at will. And Satan can come, as we have seen in the parable of the sower, he can come and take out of your mind what has already been put in there. And he can come in and possess people like he did with Judas Iscariot. So Satan has a great deal of power. But if we are at one with God, and if we are asking God to fight our battles for us, if we’re asking God to protect us, and the prayer of Jesus then will prevail, which is we are kept from the evil one who is Satan the devil. But here’s how we must do it.
Now continuing, verse 9. “Whom resist stedfast in the faith…” We can’t use our own devises. We can’t use our own thoughts. We have to use the Spirit of God, and the Word of God in faith. You resist. Now notice then there’s a promise given. “Whom resist in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”
Now let’s go to James 4 and let’s see what else happens when we resist in the faith. We are given a promise, but we have to do it exactly as God has said. Now it’s very interesting here. Let’s begin in James 4:4. Ye adulterers and adulteresses [not just physically, but spiritually], know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” I want you to think on that. “Whosoever therefore will be a friend for the world is the enemy of God.” Now Satan is the enemy of God. So if you’re a friend of the world you’re a friend of Satan. Have you ever looked at it that way? Maybe you need to understand how true that may be. “Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwells in us lusts to envy?” That’s the way that human nature is. “But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil [as we have seen, in the faith] and he will flee from you. Draw [near] nigh to God, and He will draw [near] nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (James 4:4-8). That’s the way that we fight Satan the devil. Draw close to God, resist him in the faith. And God says if we draw close to Him, He will draw close to us and He will fight our battles for us. And that’s how we fight Satan the devil.
Part 2
Now let’s see how Jesus Christ fought Satan the devil. Because you see Jesus had to overcome Satan the devil, who’s the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and all of those things. Now let’s go to Luke 4 and let’s see that Jesus fought him when He was His physically the weakest, but strong in the Spirit of God. And that’s exactly why we are given those instructions by James and by Peter. That’s how we fight and resist. Satan will flee. But notice we have to stick with the Word of God and rightly interpret it, as we will see.
Now Luke 4:1, “And Jesus being full of the Holy [Spirit] Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.” Now we’re going to see about the wilderness here in just a little bit, what that represents concerning the Day of Atonement. “Being forty days tempted of the devil.” Now this was a one-to-one, head-to-head knock down, dragged out confrontation and war. This was the greatest spiritual battle that has ever taken place on the face of this earth. At stake was the salvation of mankind. At stake was the existence of the Church.
“And in those days he did eat nothing…” Just like Moses. When Moses was on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights he didn’t eat any food, didn’t drink any water. “…And when they were ended, He afterward hungered.” I imagine so. It was just really gnawing at Him, if you hadn’t eaten for 40 days and 40 nights. “And the devil said unto Him…” Now notice how he appeals to human pride. He said, “…If Thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread” (vs. 2-3). Now question: Was He the Son of God? Yes. Did He have the power to turn stone into bread? Yes. But had He done it who would He have been obeying? God or Satan? Satan. Understand this, very important, never let pride and human nature overtake your judgment concerning the things of God. Notice how He answered… “And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (vs. 4). That’s quoted three times in the Bible. Here in Luke 4:4, Matthew 4:4, and Deuteronomy 8:3. And it also says in Matthew 4 and Deuteronomy 8, “Every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God shall man live.” Not by food alone.
“And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, shewed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.” Now this is a profound thing, brethren. “And the devil said unto Him, All this power will I give Thee…for that is delivered unto me…”, why? Because men sinned and gave it up to him, that’s why. “…And to whomsoever I will I give it” (vs. 5-7). Now let’s stop here and let’s look at something very profound and very important. We’ll come back here to Luke 4, though let’s come to Revelation 3 first.
Let’s understand why this is so important to realize. Revelation 3, as we’ll see here in just a minute, talks about the synagogue of Satan. Jesus talked about the kingdom of Satan. And Revelation talks about his angels or the demons that fell with him. They’re all active and they’re all busy. And Satan has a super organization that is call called here in Revelation 3, let’s read it, the synagogue of Satan. And we have direct confrontation with this. Let’s understand that this super organization includes all religions. It includes the mighty capital businessmen of the world. It includes religious leaders as well as their religion. It includes all of the leading politicians of the world to control this world and bring Satan’s one world globalized economy and government to this world. That is all of Satan the devil. And the synagogue of Satan, let’s read it here and let’s look at the difference. Let’s look a the protection that we have from the synagogue of Satan and Satan, and the power that he has in this world, that it comes from God and Christ because of what we do.
Revelation 3:8, “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept My word…” See, not only do we resist steadfast in the faith, but we keep the Word of God. That’s why we keep the Sabbaths of God. That’s why God said, “Verily My Sabbaths you shall keep.” Now is that the Word of God? Well, He spoke it, didn’t He? Yes. “…And hast not denied My name.” To be comfortable with everybody else. “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan…” (Rev. 3:8-9). The super-organization, which includes: the Jesuits, the Illuminati, the Masons, the Council of Foreign Relations, and all of their counterparts in all nations of the world. It includes the leaders of the United Nations. They form the synagogue of Satan and it spreads out in its different organizations. It includes the Club of Rome. It includes the Bilderbergers. It includes the Trilateralists. See, because Satan has his kingdom, but he also has them in competition with one another because his kingdom is divided and he loves the competition to see who’s going to come out on top. And all the while he’s in control of it all. So he has the Catholics against the Protestants, and the Protestants against the Catholics. And the Masons against the Catholics, and the Catholics against the Masons. And the Illuminati against all of them. And then you have the CFR and they’re against religion. And the Catholics are against the CFR. Listen, you need to strip it all away and know that it is the synagogue of Satan which rules it all. That’s why we have to be faithful to the word of God. And all of those big important people, if I didn’t mention all the big captains of industry and commerce of this world, they’re included in it.
Now, God is going to do something because we are the weak, we’re the despised, we’re the rejected of this world. When the Kingdom of God is set up on this earth He is going to make them do a profound thing. Let’s read it. “…Which say they are Jews, and are not [that is have the true way of salvation], but do lie: behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved you.” Now that’s how you fight Satan the devil. You can’t fight this world any other way. You can’t fight Satan any other way except by love and obedience to God. And He will fight your battles for you, and He will protect you.
But here, let’s come back to Luke 4. So Satan came along and said, “Look, I’ll give this all to you now. You don’t have to wait until the time when God is going to give it to you.” Just like he told Adam and Eve, right? Eat of it now, you’ll become gods. He said the same thing to Jesus. “Look, I’ll give it to you now.” No, you wait till God gives it. So what did He say? Notice there’s a hitch. There is a hitch to it. You don’t get it for nothing. There is a price. And that price is your spiritual salvation.
Verse 7, Satan said to Jesus, “If Thou therefore wilt worship me…”, he said to Jesus, “…all will be Thine.” What did Jesus say? “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me Satan: for it is written, Thou…”, not talking that Satan will worship God cause he never will. He worships himself because he thinks he is god. But this is the instruction for mankind. So Jesus, being a man was quoting the scripture of God to Himself as to what He should do. “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve” (vs. 7-8). Now I want you to look at that verse and I want you to understand it. And I want you to realize that in our lives in keeping the word of God and resisting Satan the devil, that is how we do it. We serve Him only, and we worship Him only and none other. Now maybe this will help you understand why God doesn’t want a hierarchy. He does not want men sitting in the seat of God like the pompous man over in Rome in the Vatican called the Pope. He obeys Satan the devil and that is rank idolatry and Satanism.
Now let’s look at the next temptation. “And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple [put Him up there, “Look around you”], and said unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God…” (vs. 9).
“Now let’s see, are you really true? Come on, are you really the Son of God? I really don’t believe it. Why don’t you prove it to me. Cast Thyself down from here. Now I’m going to quote you a scripture.” And he quotes it right. See, a properly quoted scripture misapplied is still sin. Did you know that? Think on that.
“For it is written, He shall give His angels charge over Thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone” (vs. 10-11). Now let’s think about this for a minute. If Jesus would have done that right at the Temple, guess what would have happened? Satan would have inspired all the priests and all the Pharisees and Sadducees to come out and accept Jesus as the Messiah. Because He would now be a false messiah because He would have rejected being the Son of God. He would have worshipped Satan the devil, He would have obeyed Satan the devil, and now He would be acceptable to men because He is now of the devil. Think of that. But He didn’t, did He? No. Notice what He answered. “And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (vs. 12). And Who was the Lord God in the flesh? Jesus Christ. Now this gives us a good idea of how we need to fight Satan in this world.
Now let’s come back and see something that is very profound and important in the ritual contained in Leviticus 16, which then leads us to what God is going to do to get rid of Satan the devil in the final analysis. Let’s understand something very profound. Before Satan entered the scene there was no sin. And we have seen how many, many times over again in history where we have it the societies try and get rid of the evil. And they do for a while but Satan and his agents come right back and what do you have? Sin again. So in order to get rid of sin you have got to get rid of Satan the devil. That’s just as true as it can be. And this ritual that we find here in Leviticus 16 is a prophecy of God getting rid of Satan the devil and sin forever. It’s contained in the special sacrifices for the Day of Atonement as found in Leviticus 16.
Now the first part of it talks about what Aaron would do for his own sacrifices to purify himself and the priests. And then after he had put on the holy garments then verse 5, “And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself and for his house” (Lev. 16:5-6). Now after he has been purified, representing then the purified Christ, if we could look at it that way. “And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation” (vs. 7).
Now it’s also very interesting that when you go back to Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden there were two Cherubim put there guarding the way into the Garden of Eden. So when God met Adam and Eve and later Able and Cain they would meet there right at place and the two Cherubim were there. Later this was incorporated into the Tabernacle, into the Temple where the Cherubim overshadowing the throne of God. And also, after Adam and Eve had sinned, what happened? God took two goats and killed them, and covered them with the skins to cover their nakedness. So here on the Day of Atonement, which pictures the solution to the problem of sin, we have two goats which are taken. One for the Lord and the other one, it says, for the scapegoat, but it shall be for Azazel. And Azazel is another name for Satan the devil.
Then something very, very different happens with these sacrifices. Let’s read it, verse 9. “And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.” This is a type of Christ. Now, if you have something offered for a sin offering and it’s accepted of God, has the sin been covered and forgiven? Yes. That’s important and profound to understand so that we don’t get mixed up on the function of the second one. So then after he killed the goat which was for the sin offering, verse 15, “Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail…”, right before the presence of God. Now this is exactly what Jesus did when He went before God the Father, didn’t He? He brought His blood there as the blood of the sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. So in this case the people of Israel. And the final fulfillment will picture all the people of the world. “…And bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: and he shall make an atonement [now notice] for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins…” (vs. 15-16). Now this sin offering covered. And that’s what atonement means. It comes from the Hebrew kippur, Yom Kippur is the name of the day. And kippur means “to cover”. Are all of their sins covered or atoned for? If you have a sin sacrifice taken in and accepted of God, all the sins have been covered and atoned for. Then what is the purpose of the second goat? Because that is also part of the thing which makes everything at-one with God. Or being covered so that you are at-one with God. Now let’s read it.
Let’s come down here to verse 20. “And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat.” Now it doesn’t go inside the Holy of Holies. It’s just right there at the altar of burnt offerings. “And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel…” Now why do that over a live goat? Weren’t their sins already forgiven when the sin offering was offered and taken into the Holy of Holies? The answer is yes. But why do this? The answer is very, very clear. As long as Satan is around there is sin. He is the author of sin. Who caused the children of Israel to sin and all their sins and transgressions but Satan the devil? So that’s why he confesses them. “…And all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat…” Everything comes right back to the judgment of Satan the devil and he will bare his own judgment. See, we have an intercessor, which is Christ. He takes away the judgment from us through His sin offering. But the one that is pictured for Satan the devil, the live goat…now why did he pick a live goat and do it with a live goat? Because Satan is a spirit being and cannot die. So all the sins are put right back on the author of sin, Satan the devil. Now notice, “…and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man…” (vs. 20-21). Now this fit man, as we will see, is a type of an angel. And we will see the fulfillment in Revelation 20 in a little bit.
“And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited…” Now why take it out into the wilderness into a land not inhabited? That is to show and typify where Satan is going to be removed from all people. That’s why. Removed into the wilderness into a place uninhabited. “…And he shall let go the goat in the wilderness” (vs. 22). And then Aaron will come back in, change his clothes, wash his flesh. The man who took the goat out into the wilderness, when he comes back he will do the same thing.
Now let’s come down here to verse 29. “And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: for on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD” (vs. 29-30).
Now for us who are in the Church today, this applies to us through the sacrifice of Christ at the Passover. But for Israel and for the world, then it’s going to be applied when the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement, when Satan is going to be removed, their sins will be forgiven as God has said, and be covered, and God is going to deal with them as His people in Spirit and in truth. Not in this way any longer. “It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a stature for ever” (vs. 31).
Now, let’s look at the fulfillment of this when we come to Revelation 20 and see the exact type of this. Satan is not destroyed. Some people can say, “Ok, well, you know, can God destroy Satan?” Well, yes, nothing is impossible with God. But what if it’s not within the realm of God’s will or purpose to destroy him? How much better to have him forever lasting memory through all eternity so no one will rebel against God.
Now let’s come here to Revelation 20. Let’s see the fulfillment of this. Remember we came from the day of the Feast of Trumpets up here where the armies are all destroyed by Christ and the sons of God who come down and war against the Beast and the False Prophet and their armies. Now verse 1 of chapter 20. “And I saw an angel [that’s a type of the fit man back in Leviticus 16] come down from heaven, having the key of the [abyss] bottomless pit…” Now taking the goat out in the wilderness was the closest you could come to an abyss. Especially if you understand some of the wilderness south and east of Jerusalem and Judea. “…And a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is [called] the Devil, and Satan, and bond him a thousand years...” (Rev. 20:1-2). Now God’s going to do something with Satan a little later on, but he’s going go to be bound for a whole thousand years.
Now why is Satan bound for the thousand years? Because, as long as Satan is around you can never get rid of sin. Do you understand that? That’s why God has done it this way. In order to cleanse all the societies when the Millennium begins, so that we don’t have a repeat of everything that’s gone on in the past and the cycle of human history of sin and destruction and death, then Satan has to be removed because he’s the author of that. He holds people in fear of death. So he’s removed. He’s bound a thousand years.
“And cast him into the [abyss] bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season” (vs. 3-4). Well, you’re going to have to come to the Last Great Day to understand why Satan is loosed for a little season. What is God’s purpose in doing that? So this is when Satan will be put away. And he has to be put away before the Millennium begins.
Now let’s come back and look at some other things that we need to understand, because as the apostle Paul said, we do not want to be caught by the wiles of the devil or give him an entrance. Now let’s come to Ephesians 4 and let’s see what he said here. Satan loves bad attitudes. Satan loves for people to come along and be angry and hateful and despiteful. And it gives him an opportunity. Because as the prince of the power of the air he’ll come along and feed that. He feeds all of those kinds of hateful emotions. That’s his specialty. Now let’s notice.
Let’s come here to Ephesians 4:25. “Wherefore putting away lying…” Who’s the author of lies? Satan the devil. When you lie who are you serving? God or Satan? You’re serving Satan. “…Speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath” (Eph. 4:25-26). Then notice the next verse, verse 27. “Neither give place to the devil.” Why? Because when you lie, and when you’re angry, and when you sit and brood and carry anger and hostility then you give place to the devil. You give him an entrance.
Now let’s go to 2 Corinthians 2:11. He says in forgiving the one who had sinned and bringing him back, he said if you don’t then, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” We’ve covered a lot of them today, haven’t we? Where he lies, he deceives, and he manipulates and he uses. We’re not to be ignorant of his devices.
Let’s see what happened with Peter. Peter had a close encounter with Satan on two occasions. Let’s come to Matthew 16. Let’s see how Satan appeals to human nature. Satan is the prince of the power of the air inspiring the wrong thoughts, always appeals to the things of men which seem right, have a good cause. Satan loves do-gooders. He loves good causes.
Now let’s begin in Matthew 16:21. “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.” Now Peter, remember he said, “I’ll go to the death with you Lord.” So he was really zealous. He’s going to show what he can do. So “…Peter took Him…”, probably walked up to Christ, grabbed a hold of his elbow and turned Him around, “…and began to rebuke Him…”, begin to correct Him for making such a statement. “…Saying, Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not [happen] be unto Thee” (Matt. 16:21-22). “Why, we’re not going to let it happen. I’ll fight for you.” Remember who was the one who had the sword that cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest. It was Peter. So here’s Peter in all of his braggadocio saying, “Well, I’ll help you. I’ll do it.” So Satan appeals to people who want to do good for God because they are so good. Now you see let’s make something real clear here. No one is going to do anything for God because they’re so good or powerful, or mighty. God will use those that are humble and love Him, and serve Him, and obey Him. That’s how things get done. Not by the might of carnal will.
Now verse 23, “But He [Jesus] turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind Me, Satan…”, because that attitude came right from Satan the devil, prince of the power of the air. Peter had a weakness. And his weakness was his human carnal strength of character so that he was going to do right and not let this happen to Christ. “…Thou art an offence unto Me…” See, because it was the will of God that He die. “…For thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” And that’s how Satan has an entrance. That’s one of his grand devices - the things of men. “Yes, yes, let’s make it just, let’s make it right. Let’s have fairness for everybody. Let’s not let Him die. After all, He’s the Messiah. Let’s keep Him alive so He can save Israel. That’s why He came. Why of course, we know that Lord.” You savor the things of men, not of God.
Now let’s come to Luke 22 and let’s see something here very important. Here we find a little bit more of the rest of the story of Peter, and also how Christ has to intercede for us. Now remember, and of course Luke 22 has to do with the Passover. And what happened on that Passover night? Satan entered into Judas, didn’t he, to betray Him. So Satan wants certain people, to use certain people. Remember that Satan disputed with Michael the archangel over the body of Moses because he wanted the body of Moses. Cause he could have taken the body of Moses and created the greatest religion in the world. Just put Moses body right in a clear glass coffin full of honey and Moses would be perfectly preserved. Why, we’d make a grand temple. Why, we would have pilgrimages, we would have people come to it. We’d have them crawl on their knees and flagellate their chest and their back, and they would come and do homage to the body of Moses. Satan wants certain people. And that’s why we have to really resist Satan in faith. Now Satan got Judas and he wanted Peter.
Let’s come to Luke 22:31, “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.” Just grind you up and chew you up and just sift you into so much pulverized fine flour. Just take and absolutely ruin and destroy you. Satan wants to do that, doesn’t he? He wanted Peter. But notice what Jesus said. “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” That’s when he said, “Lord…” He still didn’t get it. Here he was right on the verge of great danger with Satan but Christ prayed for him. And he said, “Lord, I am ready to go with Thee, both into prison, and to death.” And Jesus answered in verse 34, “I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest Me” (Luke 22:31-34). Now that ought to tell us something very profound, right? That by human might and by human good intentions and human will we only play into the hands of Satan the devil. And but for Christ praying for us that we are not delivered to the evil one, we could go the same way. So there is a great amount that we need to understand concerning this. And that’s why Satan has to be put away.
Let’s come here to Acts 26:18. Let’s understand from what we’ve been delivered to be of one with God. Now here is why Paul went about preaching. And he said that he went to the Gentiles, verse 18, Christ is able to do this, “To open their eyes…”, the true opening to Christ. Not as Satan the devil said to Eve, but the true understanding of the word of God, and the true understanding of Jesus Christ. “…And to turn them from darkness [because Satan is the prince of the power of the air and the prince of darkness] to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me.”
Now let’s come back here to Colossians 1, and let’s understand how profound this is. We have been delivered from the power of darkness, and the power of Satan the devil to be called by Christ and God the Father. To have the Holy Spirit of God. To know the word of God. To understand the truth of God. To be at one with God, which this day pictures as we overcome Satan the devil and Christ fights for us, see. And just like it says there in Revelation 12, we overcome Satan the devil by the testimony of our word, and by not loving our lives unto death, and by loving God with all of our hearts, and mind, and soul and being. And we can completely overcome Satan that way. But notice we have to understand what God has done, and the first chapter of Colossians tells it very clearly, and what the hope of being at one with God is.
Now let’s pick it up here in Colossians 1:9, “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” That is the true knowledge and wisdom, you see, which comes from God, not from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which this world has. “That ye might walk worthy…” Now what we are going to see is how then we are able to stay at one with God continually. To “…walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing [of course that’s brethren], being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Here’s the strength that we get. The inner strength from His Spirit, “Strengthened with all might [or that is, all power], according to His glorious power…” That’s how we grow and overcome. “…Unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us [fit, or qualified us] meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in [the] light.” God the Father is the One Who qualifies us. We don’t qualify ourselves by our works. It is Christ in us. It is the Father in us. “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness…” We’ve been delivered brethren, and we ought not go back. And any of those brethren you know that are edging closer back to the world, go to them, help them. Help them to realize and understand what is going to happen to them if they continue on that course. “…And hath translated us into [brought us unto the jurisdiction, that is] the kingdom of His dear Son: in Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:9-14).
Now notice how great this is to be at one with God. The redemption of our sins. Completely covered, wholly removed, taken from us, absolutely gone. “…Even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature [that is to be born by the resurrection from the dead]: For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers…” (vs. 15-16). See, we have the strength and power over all of those things. We don’t have to worry. If God is for us who can be against us? Nothing can be against us. Not even Satan the devil can be against us.
Now notice verse 17, “And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the firstborn from [among] the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell” (vs. 17-19). Now we have been made at one with God through the operation of the sacrifice of Christ. Verse 20, “And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight: If [there’s that large two letter word], If you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard…” (vs. 17-23).
Now then he shows the whole meaning of this. The final analysis of it all, which is that God would make known to you the greatest thing that there is. And this is the true total at-one-ment with God that we have with His Spirit. Verse 27, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
So God has a plan. He’s going to get rid of Satan the devil. And he’s going to do it through the power of Jesus Christ. And we here are going to fight against Satan the devil through the Spirit of God, through the truth of God, and yielding to Christ and Christ in us that we always be at one with Him. And God is going to put away Satan the devil, and He’s going to destroy the synagogue of Satan and they are going to come and worship before our feet so that they will know that God has loved us.
